Emily VanCamp on Revenge's Fall Finale, a 'Scary Story,' the Proposal and More: 'Things Get Sticky!'

Revenge, as fans of ABC’s frothy new drama can attest, is a sweet indulgence, and a heaping new bit will be served this Wednesday at 10/9c in the fall finale. Will the fake “Amanda” get under Emily’s skin by wooing Jack? Have we not come close to seeing Tyler at his worst? Shouldn’t Daniel be popping the question soon? And who was that dead on the beach in the pilot?

TVLINE | Prior to Revenge, you were a member of two memorable TV ensembles, on Brothers & Sisters and Everwood. Did you feel anxiety as the “axis” around which a new show revolves?
Oh, absolutely. I tried to mask it as much as possible, because you want to be there for the rest of the cast and show confidence. [Laughs] It was definitely intimidating, but at a certain point you just have to let it all go, do the best job that you can and hopefully people will watch — and they did. And for that, I’m so grateful every day. I’ve had a lot of “pinch me” moments.

TVLINE | The audience did show up — do you think that’s because we were longing for a frothy sudser in the tradition of Dynasty?
I think so, yeah. People are craving that kind of show right now, and ABC put their faith in [Revenge creator] Mike Kelley, who is absolutely brilliant and has such a great plan for this show. It was a risk for ABC, I think. A lot of people are betting on remakes and reboots… no one really thought much about our show, so it was a pleasant surprise that people tuned in.

TVLINE | I also wonder if you’ve borrowed a bit of the Occupy Wall Street buzz, with Emily going after the 1%.
I think so. I think America’s ready to see the takedown of the rich. I know that Madeleine [Stowe] got into a bit of trouble for saying that [Laughs], but it’s true. It’s appealing to people, given what’s going on in the economy. Mike’s very clever in that he knows what people want and how to get them addicted.

TVLINE | A clip from the fall finale shows Emily giving Amanda a diary to bone up on, one full of all kinds of details. I’m thinking that’s got to come back and bite her in the butt.
No, that is actually a fake journal that she’s giving to Amanda. In this episode the mentor, Takeda, has advised my character to have Amanda work for her rather than against her. My character feels like she’s lost control a bit, so Takeda tells her to pit Victoria against the fake Amanda. and that’s going to be a very interesting storyline.

TVLINE | Is the fake Amanda going to sufficiently take Jack’s mind off of Emily?
Somewhat yes, and that’s actually a lovely story — and a very scary story for my character. That’s a relationship that is definitely going to play out. There are so many lies, so much deceit on this show!

TVLINE | I could see how if they start to get close, Emily will be like, “Hey, over here! What about that something we were feeling a few days ago?”
Absolutely, there are so many elements of betrayal, of jealousy…. But then, Emily also has her relationship with Daniel to consider and that she has to maintain. Things get pretty sticky.

TVLINE | Speaking of which, there must be a marriage proposal coming up soon, right?
We actually just shot that. It is very romantic, really, really beautiful…. There’s rain involved. Everything’s romantic when there’s rain, let’s be honest.

TVLINE | Some have said that the show may have played the “real Emily” card too soon, that that’s the stuff of a season finale – boom, here comes trouble. So what is the season finale? Do you have any idea?
Oh goodness…. I have some idea. Mike throws things out there all the time, but he’s ever changing and coming up with something better, better, better. The one thing I can say about Mike is that he has down how to not make the audience wait too long for anything, which is so important with a show like this. People are constantly wanting more because he’s giving it to them. He’s like a drug dealer of sorts! [Laughs] You can draw out these stories for 10 episodes at a time but then it’s not fun for the audience. We do have a tough time slot and we want to keep our viewership.

TVLINE | Will we get a cliffhanger going into the holiday break?
We find out more about how much my character is really feeling for Daniel, which is interesting. And we do start to see a bit of a more vulnerable side of her and kind of experience how the tragedy of all of this weighs on her, which I think is important.

TVLINE | I’m getting a bit worried that Nolan’s loyalties are divided, if only because Tyler offers him something Emily simply cannot.
Nolan is very, very sketchy. Emily knows he’s never truly to be trusted, but he’s also frightened of Emily so he’s not going to cross her too much. He really just wants to be a part of this.

TVLINE | I understand we haven’t seen Tyler at his worst yet.
This week you’ll think he hits an all-time low, but come January it gets much worse. I have to give Ashton Holmes credit, he has never tried to make his character likeable. He plays it well — and he’s nothing like Tyler in real life!

TVLINE | At the summer TCA panel, there was talk that the action will ultimately relocate to New York City proper. Is that still the plan?
I think we’re in the Hamptons for all of Season 1, because there’s going to have to be the trial of the murderer and that has to take place where the murder happened.

TVLINE | OK, so you and Mike Kelley keep speaking in terms of a murder trial. So it’s not attempted murder? That person on the beach is dead?Ummm…. No comment! But yeah, the guy on the beach is dead, I can say that.

TVLINE | Some assume it is in fact Daniel, but I’ve rewatched the scene many times, and there’s nothing definitive to draw from it.
[Cagily] Uh-huh!

TVLINE | Does Alexis Colby crash the murder trial?
That would be great! We have not started shooting the trial yet. We still haven’t shot Episode 15, which is where we lead back up to the pilot, where we come full circle. That, too, could have been left for the season finale.

TVLINE | In what episode does Emily declare revenge on Mother Nature? This has to be the least-sunny Hamptons ever. TVLine was on the set for one of the marina/sunbathing scenes, and I hear it was freezing.
It was freezing, and rainy, and they had to get on the boat later that day for the lovely romantic scene where [Jack and Amanda] kissed, and they were both ill I think…. It seems to be that whenever we’re on location it’s pretty rotten outside. But what are ya gonna do?

TVLINE | If you had to pick one costar each from Brothers & Sisters and Everwood to guest-star on Revenge, who would you choose?
Well, from Brothers & Sisters it’d be Patty Wettig, because I had the most fun with her always. She is one of my favorite women I ever worked with. And she could really pull off Hamptons [attitude] like it’s nobody’s business. And from Everwood…. That’s hard! Maybe all of them? They could make a little field trip? [Laughs] It’d be great to work with Greg Smith again, but probably not on this.

TVLINE | Hey, he could be a guy from grown Emily’s past.
That’s true, he could be!

I love this show and I really miss it every time it skips a week. I am glad that we get a whole season, I just hope it can pick up a few new fans and get a second season. I like that they aren’t committed to killing Daniel, maybe the body is someone else, but who knows? That’s really a fun guessing game.

Of all the shows that debuted this season, this has to be our favourite (well…maybe after Homeland). It’s frustrating when people call it a “guilty pleasure” though, because we feel no guilt watching every twist, lie and outrageous scheme.

Can’t wait to see how this week’s fall finale turns out, especially with the Kill Bill vibe that started last episode and continues in this one.

Revenge is one of the best shows this fall has to offer IMO, i love Emily from Everwood and B&S, and Madeleine Stowe makes an awesome, not as cold as she looks, villain. The plot is always changing and, for the most part, is very well written.
My only concern is that run out of ideas too soon because is going a tad fast for me, but i love it! >.<
I hope it lasts many seasons!!!

I love this show. I am glad they are rethinking about Daniel being the dead guy on the beach. His character is likeable and she, Amanda/Emily, never meant for him to be involved in her plan for revenge. I’ll be watching when Revenge returns. Best new show of the season IMO.

Ok, love the show, so far its been almost perfect, but dont start having Emily spouting off about the “1%”, of which O’Bozo and his cronies make up that group, since theyre the rich and not paying their “fair share”! Anyways, we want to see the rich and how they live, not this poor crap, so whomever is getting their comeuppence its not because theyre rich, its because of them hurting Emily.

Absolutely, LOVE the show. It is the best show on TV. We get together with friends and watch two episodes at a time. Can’t get enough of it. I’m torn if the dead guy is Daniel. I think it should be so she can go back to Jack. Mike Kelley is the best writer ever!
Thanks for writing this show and we sure hope it comes back next season. But I would love to know when the finale is?